At least four of the seven courses required for the minor must be at the 300-level or above. The remaining three courses must ordinarily be at the 200-level or above. The following exceptions apply:

- A student may substitute a 100-level course for a 200-level course if the course is taken in the student’s first or second year.

- A student may elect to take the four-credit senior exercise in English (both ENGL 451 and ENGL 452) in place of one 300-level literature course.

Notes: Working closely with her advisor, each student should seek to construct a plan for the major that includes the following approaches to literary study:

Historical — These courses will highlight the construction of literary traditions in different periods.

Critical and/or theoretical — These courses will foreground the study and use of a variety of models of literary interpretation.

Transnational — These courses will involve a significant focus on the study of literary texts and traditions from other countries in relation to those of England and the United States.

Formal — These courses will foreground the study of different genres and their conventions.

Social — These courses will foreground the study of literature’s relationship to identity categories such as those based on class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.

Students are encouraged to take courses in creative writing as well as courses in other depart- ments that complement their course of study and their areas of interest in English.

Minors who want to study abroad often spend their junior year at the University of London or the University of St. Andrews, and/or a summer at Oxford University through the Virginia Program at Oxford. A student considering study abroad should consult with her advisor for recommended preparatory courses.

With the exception of ENGL 451, no course used to fulfill minor requirements may be taken on a P/CR/NC grading option.